William Mclenahan, 18, Aspiring Chef

February 03, 2000|By Krystyna Slivinski. Special to the Tribune.

After working three years at an Italian restaurant, William McLenahan, 18, of Arlington Heights knew he wanted to become a chef. Last September, Mr. McLenahan began taking culinary courses at Harper College in Palatine.

Born in Park Ridge, Mr. McLenahan died Monday, Jan. 31, in Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge of injuries sustained in an automobile accident near the college last week. Two other students also died in the accident.

Mr. McLenahan grew up in Arlington Heights and attended Westgate Elementary School and South Middle School there. He graduated last spring from Rolling Meadows High School, where he had played basketball as a sophomore.

While still a student, Mr. McLenahan took a part-time job at Villa Italiana, an Arlington Heights restaurant, where he started out working as a busboy. He later moved into the kitchen, where he served as a short-order cook and then as a prep cook.

"He found something that he liked doing," said Dee Considine, a bartender at the restaurant. "He went into the kitchen when he was 16 years old and he stayed there and eventually became interested in becoming a chef."

He stopped working at the restaurant last year as he prepared for his first year at Harper. He started working part-time in the warehouse at Tactical Business Services, a computer company in Rolling Meadows.

As a teenager, Mr. McLenahan taught himself how to play the guitar and enjoyed weightlifting and photography.

"He was a very responsible and generous young man," said his mother, Sharon McLenahan. "He took time with what he did and tried to do it the right way."

He also was an organ donor. "He was always there for anyone who needed him," his mother said.

Other survivors include his father, William III; a sister, Kerry; and his grandmother, Violet Feulner. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday in Lauterburg & Oehler Funeral Home, 2000 E. Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.